Govt declares war on Zomba loggers
Massive illegal logging has compelled the government to deploy soldiers in a belated war to save the Zomba Plateau from hostile gangs that have shocked the nation.
According to Minister of Natural Resources and Climate Change Owen Chomanika, the Malawi Defence Force (MDF) will patrol the country’s second-tallest mountain to expel illegal loggers.

The decision comes just a week after a motorist waiting for scarce fuel at Fairway Service Station in Zomba captured, on camera, a gang emerging from the lush downslopes with logs on their shoulders.
The video has gone viral on social media, raising questions about the security and susceptibility of the long-plundered mountain forest surrounded by military, forestry and police establishments.
However, Chomanika told stakeholders at Ku Chawe Peak that the government expects the soldiers to halt the escalating plunder.
Uncontrolled raids on the protected mountain forest accelerate the siltation of Mulunguzi Dam, Zomba City’s sole source of potable water.
“We will bring in the MDF to patrol the forests,” said the minister. “Records show that eight forestry rangers that were deployed to patrol forests in the country were killed in 2024 by illegal sawyers.”
Chomanika asked the courts to impose stiffer punishment on raiders convicted of illegal logging.
Some forestry patrollers told The Nation that the militant loggers are armed with dangerous weapons and ready to kill anyone who stands in their way.”
However, suspicion is growing that forestry officials and other law enforcement agents get kickbacks to ignore the plunder.
Commissioner of Police in the Eastern Region, Chikondi Chingadza asked the police to play a part in protecting the country’s endangered forests.
Principal Secretary for Environmental Affairs Yusuf Nkungula said in a statement on Sunday that the Malawi Environmental Protection Affairs was shocked and dismayed by the impunity displayed by the logging gangs in Zomba Mountain.
He said State agencies will collaborate to combat the environmental crisis that threatens tourism, water supply and sustainable environmental management.
However, some concerned locals have asked the ministry to sensitise communities surrounding the mountain to the implications and their responsibilities before it deploys soldiers to protect trees.